LAKE JUNALUSKA, N.C., April 9 /Christian Newswire/ -- Youth groups from all over the country coming to Lake Junaluska will enjoy summer events filled with fun and discipleship.

The theme for SURGE events will focus on the Imago Dei, the image of God, inside each of our young people. We will examine how God has created us with a divine mission, how we have corrupted that image and how Jesus came to bring restoration.

Meg Procopio of Monticello UMC in Statesville, N.C., has been bringing her youth group to Lake Junaluska for 8 years. She said she enjoys the speakers as well as the whitewater rafting opportunities.

"We love summers at Lake J and the Shack! The programming is done for you so you can concentrate on building relationships with your kids," she said.

"Surge is an awakening experience for your senses," Jessica Hodges of Adams UMC in Summit, Miss. Said. "It captivates your heart and mind. Lake Junaluska is a place my group finds peace and grows spiritually and physically as a group. It bonds them in the love of Christ," she said.

A change of venue where youth can experience God's grace in a different way is one of the reasons why Rev. Adam Gordon comes to SURGE with his youth group from Booneville First UMC in Booneville, Miss.

"LJ is a great place for youth and youth workers to come and experience the wonderful love of God. The experiences of worship and community in the backdrop of God's beautiful creation is just a small part of the greatness of LJ," Gordon said.